


Like like.

by kissmeimhere



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, barely any of the other girls, i know they say fancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-02
Updated: 2013-03-02
Packaged: 2017-12-04 02:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/705465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissmeimhere/pseuds/kissmeimhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"For who?" Ruth smirked as she moved to sit across Liam at the kitchen table, he picked up the black sharpie and started to write in careful handwriting on to valentine.</p>
<p>"None of your business."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like like.

**Author's Note:**

> wow don't judge me i know they say fancy in the UK, i know its not valentines day anymore, and i know i'm shit at summarys don'T JUDGE ME.

Liam Payne shuffled through a stack of red and pink construction paper, organizing his large tube of glue, childproof scissors, and jar of pink and silver glitter to spread out around the small, red, paper heart in the middle of the kitchen table.

"What're you doing, Li?"

Liam flinched at the sound, and a nasty glob of glue fell onto his fingers.

"Poop," he muttered to himself, glaring out of the corner of his eye at his older sister, Ruth, he steadied himself by propping up on his knees and leaning over the table, he carefully covered the edges of the heart in a shaky line of glue, before sprinkling clumps of sparkling glitter all over the heart, carefully carrying the paper heart to the bin and shaking off any excess glitter.

"Li," Ruth said sternly now, "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a valentine, duh." Liam said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, he carried the heart back to the table and set a little black sharpie off to the side as he started to pack the sticky art supplies back into a little blue bag.

"For who?" Ruth smirked as she moved to sit across Liam at the kitchen table, he picked up the black sharpie and started to write in careful handwriting on to valentine.

"None of your business." Liam said stubbornly, he picked the valentine up and held it to the light, admiring the smeared glitter and sharp letters.

"Is it..." Ruth pondered, Perrie? No, definetely not, that was Zayn's little girlfriend... Eleanor? Maybe, but Ruth is pretty sure she only has eyes for Louis (even if Louis doesn't have eyes for her.) So it could only be..

"Danielle?" Ruth asked, leaning in to Liam who was pulling his backpack around his shoulders.

Liam made a disgusted face and shook his head wildly, "No!"

"I thought she was your little girlfriend." Ruth is actually suprised, Danielle was an adorable little girl with long, brown curly hair and big hazel eyes, and a passion for dancing.

"Not really, I don't like.. like like her." he said matter - of - factly as he carefully blew on the drying glue.

"Then who's the valentine for?" Ruth asked quietly, and she wonders who she's asking more, Liam or herself.

Liam sighed exaggeratedly, "It's for Niall, dumb head." He rolled his eyes and pulled his backpack from his shoulders, setting it on the table and opening it slightly before peeking in sneakily.

"Niall?" Ruth snorted, "But Niall's a boy."

Niall was Liam's best friend, he had a distinct irish accent with soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes, almost as bright as his laugh, which was loud and boisterous.

"So what?" Liam asked defensively, and Ruth was taken aback by the demanding tone of the usually shy boy.

"You don't make valentines for boys. 'Cause you don't like like boys." She says as she checked the time on her phone out of habit.

"Maybe I do like like Niall!" Liam put his fists on the table and furrowed his eyebrows. Ruth felt her face heat up because  _really._

"I do." he repeated, his voice quieter as he sank into his chair, staring at the paper heart as if it were the first time he'd ever seen it.

"O-okay." Ruth stuttered, not quite knowing what to say to Liam about his crush on his best friend, who's a  _boy._

"He's gonna think it's weird." Liam hunched over in his chair and picked at the zipper on his backpack, and he could swear he had never felt so small.

Ruth wanted to say something, but the words were caught in her throat, she doesn't know why she's so choked up about Liam admitting something like this, for he and Niall were stuck together like glue, and all of the red blotches that could barely be seen on Liam's tan cheeks now made sense.

Liam sighed and got up, tugging his backpack over his shoulders and carefully balancing the heart on his hands.

"Bye sis," he said quietly, marching out the door.

"Bye Li."

\- - -

Liam was nervous.

His hands were damp with sweat and he was bouncing in his seat, Louis and Zayn had teased him non-stop on the bus for making a valentine for Niall,  _Niall._

It wasn't that Niall was unlikeable, in fact, he was the most likeable of the five friends (Louis, Harry, Zayn, Liam, and Niall,) but he wasn't really into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend drama that had graced the 3rd grade classroom this year. He was more focused on his friends, eating, laughing, and singing the wrong lyrics to popular songs.

Liam had felt so puny and Harry, (not unlike Ruth) wanted to say something to Liam or to Louis because Harry, young as he may be, had noticed the small smiles Liam had thrown in Niall's direction when the blonde wasn't looking.

Liam sighed and ran a small finger along the rough sparkles that covered the little heart, he had worked hard and he really wanted Niall to realize that he like..  _like liked_  him.

Because Niall was great, he really was, Liam liked his eyes and his hair and stuff, he liked his big laugh and he liked how he was shorter than the rest of the boys, he liked everything about Niall.. but  _Louis_ and  _Zayn_ and  _Harry_  just don't get it.

All of the boys sucked in a breath as the bus rumbled and screeched to a stop at the front door of the school. Liam for obvious reasons, but Louis was dreading seeing Eleanor, who was no doubt expecting some long speech from him confessing how much he loves her when he really just thinks she smells good.

Zayn was nervous to see Perrie because he thought she was very pretty, and funny, and nice. He liked her.

(But not in like a Liam like Niall kind of way because Liam  _like likes_ Niall, and no one can  _like like_ Niall like Liam can.)

Harry is just worried that he's going to get glue in his curls.

\---

At first Liam is afraid Niall's not going to be here, but Niall wouldn't miss Valentine's Day at school for the world, he loves to love and he's got a nice red polo shirt set out just for today, he told Liam.

Even Louis is tense today, Eleanor is sending him googly eyes from across the room, twirling her fingers around her wavy brown bangs. Zayn is trying really hard to focus on a blank sheet of paper because Perrie is trying to get his attention for some reason.

Harry is stressing over some glue in his curls, making them stick against his forehead and his eyes are drawn together and at the corners as he tries to see what it looks like.

They hear Niall before they see him, his laugh erupts from somewhere outside the door and Liam stiffens, his eyes going wide as he falls deeper into shock.

Louis starts chuckling and waving his hand in front of Liam's face, Zayn has taken to drawing hearts around Niall and Liam's name on the previously mentioned piece of paper.

They all watch intently (expect for Liam, who is pretending he's not there) as Niall saunters in the room, cheeks full and red, hair mussed as he must have been running around the hallways before.

Louis is nearly choking on his own laughter and Zayn is giggling quietly and Harry may have even cracked a smile.

Niall stretches his short body and reaches to the top book stacked atop others in his cubby, and the boys know exactly when he finds the paper.

His eyes widen in question and his mind kicks into gear as his stubby hand slid the heart down the side of the books and he straightened it out, not before pulling off his green backpack and hanging it up below his cubby.

Zayn watches from the side as Niall's lips mouth the few words on the heart, and even his heart jumps when Niall's eyes light up in realization and his cheeks go pink, a grin pulls at his lips as he turns and bounds over to Liam, tackling his side and pushing him over.

Liam thinks his little heart is going to bust out of his chest when Niall starts planting and peppering full, sloppy kisses all over his face.

"Niall!" the teacher shouts, alarming all of the boys who had currently been watching Niall and Liam in amazement.

Niall pulls back momentarily but doesn't look frightened, just happy, completely and utterly happy. He hops off of the edge of Liam's lap and surrenders to the teacher who was beckoning him over.

The boys faintly hear her scolding, Liam doesn't think he  _knows_  the english language anymore - as if he was any good at it before.

"I know it's Valentines Day, but other kids might not like you kissing on Liam, Niall, okay?" she says calmly, voice warm as she softly grips Niall's wrists, Niall nods dazedly at her request to say sorry to Liam (for reasons unknown, Liam thinks.)

"Li, I'm sorry." Niall says, not sounding sorry one bit, his grin just as wide as before and his cheeks painted a dark red, his eyes gleaming with adoration.

"I-It's okay." Liam stutters quietly, Niall plops down into his seat inbetween Liam and Zayn before scooting a bit closer to Liam and reaching his hand out to grip Liam's, smiling at him nervously.

Liam nods and looks back at the table,  _is this really happening?_ He wanders, because he really like likes Niall and it seems like, if Liam is correct,  _Niall like likes him back too!_

_\---_

"Hey, Ruthy!" Niall bellows as they saunter into Liam's house, hands intertwined.

Liam had shook off his previous nerves and they had morphed into confidence because  _Niall was his and that was all he needed_.

Well, they hadn't exactly talking about being boyfriends but Liam's sure it would come up, Louis had forgotten his teasing and he and Eleanor had found something to talk about, Liam and Niall's wedding under the stars at the playground.

Niall had the pink paper heart clutched in his hand as he led Liam around his own house, intent on finding someone else to brag to about how  _amazing and perfectly cute Liam is_.

Ruth was nestled in the corner of the couch, "Whose line is it anyway?" playing on the television. Ruth glances over to the two younger boys, before looking back boredly, and then taking a suprised double take, her eyes flicking between the boys and their hands.

"Ruth, Ruth!" Niall repeats, "Look at what Liam made for me." he bragged, admiration obvious in everything he says, he holds up the now somewhat crinkled paper before he snuggles his fluffy blonde head into the crook of Liam's neck, making them both smile so wide their squinting.

"Isn't he so great?" Niall asks rhetorically, one hundred percent ready to continue talking about the taller boy, before he sucks in a breath and looks up a Liam.

"I have to use the bathroom, Li, be righ' back." he rushes before planting a full, puckered lip kiss on Liam's cheek, trotting out the door and across the house to the nearest restroom.

Liam sighs contently and looks at Ruth, who is smiling happily but showing obvious confusion in her expression, she realizes quickly what must've happened, and for once, she wasn't suprised, really, she should have seen this coming before.

Liam looked up shyly, blinked, looked down, and then looked up again, before smiling wildly and looking at Ruth excitedly, his brown eyes brighter than she's ever seen, he whispers quietly, not only to Ruth, but to himself..

"I still can't believe it." he says increduolously.

" _He like likes me back."_


End file.
